To The World You Come From
by xLollipopLovex
Summary: A modern life love story; Livius Seymour, a hot and rich guy, and Nike Fujisaki, an average college girl. It's a love story between these two people who are from completely different worlds. When Livius forces her to be his girlfriend, what lies ahead of them?
1. Prologue

A/N: Due to the lack of fanfictions for Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii even though it's so popular, I shall start the first ever modern life fanfiction for this wonderful and loving couple, Livi and Nike! I really hope that this will get a lot of love and support from dear readers. :)

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Note: Surnames have been changed but characters remain the same.

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~ Prologue ~

**_Livius_**

My name is Livius Seymour. And I'm not your ordinary kind of man.

I'm expensive. I'm worth a million times more than gold, gems or even diamonds. No one is allowed to touch me without my permission, unless they are worth more than my status and reputation.

Here's something that has been bothering me lately. Yes, mind you, even rich guys do have their own problems that they can't solve.

There was a day when I stopped caring about the world, the people, and even myself. Everything in my life has become dull. Work is the only thing that keeps me going. However, something unexpected has happened - an insane woman has stepped into my life recently. Her sudden appearance in my world sends me going crazy. Her words, her smiles and her tears, they tear the walls away from my heart easily. Leaving me vulnerable and exposed around her.

Confusions.

Frustrations.

Sadness.

Anger.

Happiness.

This experience of mixed emotions within me is a first in my life ever since I'm alone. Why am I being like this? What has she done to me? Why…

…am I starting to feel love again?

Weirdly, my guts are telling me that things are going to be really interesting from now on. I'll just have to see how entertaining that woman is. I hope that you are planning to stick with me all the way…

Because this is the beginning of my spellbound love story.

~ oOo ~

**_Nike_**

My name is Nike Fujisaki, and I'm just your average college girl.

Every girl has her own fantasies. Like how they are waiting for The One to come and take them away for a life full of surprises and happiness. Just like in a fairy tale, where a prince would fall in love with a commoner and takes her along with him to be his princess. And ever since then, they lived happily ever after. The end of the story.

Sounds pretty nice, right?

I guess that I have to admit that I'm one of those crazy fantasizing girls too. Who wouldn't want it? It'll be as though living in a dream where there are no worries and troubles. But face it, the reality isn't what we think of.

And why am I saying this?

It's because I have met my own prince.

Crazy and wild things have been happening and I'm no longer living a normal life. My life has completely changed because of that one person. His coldness, hostility and everything else, it just makes me more curious about him and I want to be even closer to him than never before.

It's unbelievable, but it really did happen. My very own fairy tale.


	2. Chapter 1 The First Encounter

A/N: And here's the first chapter that you guys have been waiting for! This fiction is slightly different, there's OOCness in the characters, but not all of them. But please enjoy reading it! :D As for the couple's age, I'll keep you guys in suspense until the next chappie. ;)

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Disclaimer: I do not own Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii, but I do own the plot and the characters that I come up with.

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~ Chapter One: The First Encounter ~

**_Nike_**

Have you ever stood by the window when you have absolutely nothing to do at all and just gazed at the vast, blue sky? Or perhaps you were lying on your bed and staring up at the ceiling while your mind was roaming elsewhere? Such as reflecting on your life or thinking about something else. If you have, I wonder if this particular question ever crosses your mind.

If there was one thing in your life that you could change, what would it be?

There are millions of answers to this question. Some people would say that they want to change their pets, their backgrounds, their jobs, their laziness or their bad habits. Others might say that they want to be celebrities instead of living a normal, boring life. And of course, the rest might say something different too.

But if you were to ask me, I think that I would like to change my clumsiness.

Surely I isn't clumsy to the point where you actually feel like crying and giving me a tight hug out of sympathy? Well, sorry to disappoint you, it's really _that_ bad.

"Riiiinnnnnngggg…"

My alarm clock blares loudly in my room and forces me awake from my peaceful slumber. I groan, annoyed, before turning over in my bed and reaching for the nightstand with my eyes still shut. I slam the clock on its head swiftly and the alarm dies immediately. Relishing in the pleasant silence, I snuggle back under my covers and go back to sleep.

But before I could drift off into dreamland, an annoying voice at the back of my head screams at me repeatedly.

_Wake up, dummy! It's your audition today!_

The warning hits me hard in my mind. My eyes flit open instantly and I gasp in horror. "No, no, no…" I mutter nervously to myself. The sight of the bright sunlight streaming through my floral sheer curtains causes a dread of horror within me to rise up in my throat slowly. I sit up quickly and grab my clock hastily from the nightstand. A short glance at the time makes my jaw drops in disbelief and I swear that my heart stops beating.

The clock reads '10.23am'.

Oh Kami-sama, save my life.

Without hesitation, I toss the stupid clock aside and dash to the toilet in lightning speed. I brush my teeth speedily and wash my face quickly. Once I'm done, I hurry out and head to my wardrobe. Swinging the doors open, I grab whatever clothes that I need blindly and put them on in three seconds. Finally, I grab my black bucket bag and throw on some shoes before flying out of the house like the wind.

I sprint down the footpath and head in the direction of the main road to flag down a cab. I stand at the side of the road, waving my hands frantically like a mad person whenever a cab approaches. However, it doesn't stop and passes by me since it's already hired. Growing anxious, I curse under my breath for having such a bad start on such an important day. It's only until the fourth one comes that I manage to get into the cab.

"Where would you like to go?" the driver asks politely. I brush my bangs away from my sticky and sweaty forehead before looking at him.

"The Skyway studio please," I reply anxiously.

The driver starts driving and I slump on the seat, feeling exhausted and famished. I didn't even had my breakfast and my stomach is starting to complain. I ignore my hunger and shut my eyes to reflect on myself.

Oh why did I have to watch that tear-jerking drama at two in the morning and forget to set my alarm clock!? Why, why, why!? Seriously, I need to stop giving in to my impulses every single time and start controlling myself.

But a part of me argues that this is too difficult a task for me.

When the cab stops suddenly and the driver informs me that we have reached, I pay the fare and climb out quickly. The traffic lights are showing the red light and the green man is blinking, indicating that there's only a couple of seconds left to cross the road. Since I refuse to wait for the next one, I dart across immediately.

The green man stops flashing when I'm halfway across the road, but I continue running. A black limousine that's approaching from the corner, screeches to a halt when it sees me dashing across in front of it. If it didn't stop in time, it would have knocked me down instantly.

"I'm really sorry!"

I shout apologetically to whoever is behind the wheels before hurrying off. There isn't much time for apologies since I'm almost late for my audition. I don't even stop to think about how my life was so close to death a few seconds ago. The only thing that's on my mind right now is to reach the studio in time for my long awaited audition! I desperately want to pass it and enter the semi-finals of the singing competition that Skyway is holding. I have been waiting for this for so many months!

I happen to pass by a shop selling clocks and I groan in horror. It's 10.56am now.

Four more horrifying minutes!

I speed even faster, ignoring the weird looks coming from strangers. I pray to whatever Kami-sama out there from the bottom of my heart to let me be lucky just this once. Please, God of Time, slow down your holy grandfather clock!

But time decides to ignore me and ticks away quickly. And it seems even faster than before, as though Kami-sama is finding me funny and laughing at my helpless situation. My eyebrows twitch in vexation and a drop of sweat roll down my cheek. The inside of my stomach is tied in tight knots and it clenches uncomfortably as I run.

When I turn at a corner, a small building with the words 'Skyway Studio' shouts at me. Adrenaline surges through my body and I run at the fastest speed in my whole entire life. I must have look like an insane girl running with my hair flying around crazily. Oh gosh, my looks are totally gone now.

Luck stubbornly refuses to be on my side. I accidentally trip on a rock and fall forward, scraping my palms on the tarmac ground. "Damn!" I curse loudly and pick myself up quickly before shooting off again, ignoring the pain coming from my palms. Thank goodness I'm wearing jeans today. Otherwise, my knees would have suffered too.

I arrive at the entrance in a matter of seconds and race to the front counter. The lady sitting behind it jumps in surprise when I smack against the hard wood to stop myself. I must have looked really terrible, because she openly gawks at my appearance.

Ignoring her reaction, I ask for directions. "Where's the audition room?"

My voice brings her back to her normal self and she clears her throat. "Down the corridor and turn right," she points. I mutter 'thanks' before turning around and rushing off. I follow her directions and soon find myself standing a couple of feet away from the audition room. A man, who seems to be in his thirties, is standing in front of the door with a clipboard in his hands.

"Sorry that I'm late!" I walk up to him and apologize quickly. "I'm here for the audition."

The man takes a quick glance at me before looking down at his watch. "It's 11.02am. You're two minutes late," he informs me. He shakes his head at me and the next few sentences that come out of his mouth makes me feel as though the sky is about to fall.

"I'm sorry. You can't enter the audition room now. It's closed and anybody who's late will not be allowed to audition," he says firmly.

His words seem to reverberate in my mind chillingly and it takes a while for them to hit me. Horrified, my body freezes and my mouth forms a big 'O'. I try to find my voice but apparently, I can't. I don't know what to do or say.

I'm just…disappointed and shocked at everything. I didn't know until now that two minutes of my life could change everything.

The audition… It was supposed to be my first step towards my dream.

The man sees my expression and his face softens. He pats my shoulder kindly in an attempt to comfort me. "I'm really sorry," he says. "I'm just doing my job. The judges really emphasize on punctuality a lot. They told me not to let anyone in after 11."

He holds out a bottle of water to me. "Here, take this," he tells me. "Drink up, okay?" Despite my mind in a haze, I accept his kind offer and he gives me one final pat before walking away. Alone and still in shock, I stand outside the room for about ten minutes before finally snapping out of my daze.

It's no good. I can't be standing here forever. I need to move.

I walk off slowly. I'm feeling drain – both mentally and physically. I can't seem to think well, so I allow my feet to take charge of bringing me to the washroom. I dump my bag and bottle at the side of the sink and my hands grip the edges to support myself. I look down and stare blankly at the white tap.

Everything seems to blur and I realize that tears are starting to form in my eyes. A couple of teardrops hit the basin. I allow myself to cry silently as a wave of disappointment washes over me. This isn't the only time where I feel so upset. In the past, many unlucky and clumsy things had happened too – failing exams because I was late, losing my big assignments on the due date, getting my clothes soiled by people, humiliating myself in public and so on.

Life seems to hate me so much. Even Kami-sama too. I know that I'm super clumsy, but this time, am I really that stupid to mess things up like this too?

I stay there and cry until there are no longer any tears left in my eyes. I press the tap and bend down to splash some cool water on my face. Once I'm done, I stand up properly and stare into the mirror. And this is the first time where I finally take a good look at myself.

Oh great, I look wonderful. Puffy red eyes, sweaty face, disheveled hair, untidy clothes that clearly reflect my poor taste in fashion. Isn't it a great thing that I didn't appear like this in front of the judges and embarrass myself further?

Unfortunately, that reason isn't enough to console myself.

~ oOo ~

**_Livius_**

"Young Master, it's time to leave."

Finishing my last sip of Earl Grey tea, I set the ornate English teacup down on the glass dining table. Picking up a white silk napkin that is placed properly on my lap, I dab at my mouth gently before leaving it on the table. My butler, Neil, signals to a maid and she comes up to clear my breakfast plates. I stand up from my seat and leaves the room, with him following closely behind me.

"What's the schedule for today?" I ask him.

"Livius-sama, you have a meeting at the main office at 11.30am, followed by a lunch and golf session with a few shareholders at 2pm. And lastly, you have to meet Bardo-sama at the Beauté Bar in the evening."

I roll my eyes at the last line. "Isn't he ever going to stop trying to make me play with the girls there?"

Neil pushes his glasses up his nose. "Bardo-sama insists on you going there," he begins saying. "However, I would much rather have Livius-sama rest at home today after meeting the shareholders. You've been working too hard for the past few days." There's a glint of disapproval in his eyes for a second.

"But," he continues. "It's not in my place to make decisions for you, Young Master." He bows slightly to apologize for his rudeness. I wave my hands in a motion to indicate that all is well.

"It's okay, I appreciate your concern. Now, let us get going, Neil."

We both head down the grand stairs and exit the mansion. A black, sleek limousine is already waiting outside and my bodyguards are standing in a straight line. Neil opens the back door for me and I slide into the car. He closes it and enters the front door, sitting right next to the chauffeur, Ken. I lean back in my seat and glance out of the window when the car starts moving.

For every single day, I repeat the same old routine over and over again – breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, and then I work again until after midnight before I head to bed. Nothing interesting at all and this bores me to death. That disgusting ladies man, or you can say my uncle, persists that I should spend more time with girls. Given my overflowing wealth, charming looks and young age, every female will want to touch me and spend time with me.

However, I do not wish for such revolting things. I have never once given my attention to anybody who wanted to flirt or get close to me. They are such boring and greedy creatures who eye my assets and body. And I refuse to look at them, for their appearances simply make me disgusted.

I sigh tiredly to myself, propping my chin on my hand, and stare out of the window. Things are definitely going to be the same boring crap today.

However, I'm wrong about that.

When the limousine turns at a corner, Ken yelps suddenly and stamps his feet on the brakes hard. The car screeches loudly to a stop and the impact makes us jerk forward sharply. We slam back onto the leather seats and an alarmed expression breaks out on our faces.

Neil turns around instantly and asks me worriedly. "Livius-sama, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

I hear his voice, but I don't reply him because my eyes are fixed on the person who has caused this disturbance.

"I'm really sorry!"

A young female with long peach orange hair and bright aquamarine eyes, yells an apology at us before haring off. Apparently, she's the one dashing in front of our car even though the traffic lights are still green. With her hands gripping her bag to her body tightly, her legs take long steps and she sprints really fast as though her life depends on it. I scan her from head to toe in a second before she disappears down the street.

What an obnoxious woman. To apologize in that manner and run off…

I shake my head disapprovingly, before an image of her ridiculous look appears in my head and I burst out in laughter. Something about her makes me unable to take my mind off her.

It's her mismatched shoes – she's wearing a bright pink canvas shoe on her left feet and a neon green shoe on the right.

Besides, she doesn't seem to notice them. Otherwise she would have changed her shoes. With the vivid picture of her still imprinted in my mind, I laugh even harder. Shocked by my rare laughter, both my butler and chauffeur look back at me in concern.

"Livius-same, are you alright? Do you want me to go after that rude girl to get her to apologize to you personally?" Neil asks.

I stop laughing to catch my breath. "No, it's fine." I smirk at him. "Let's just get going."

Neil nods to Ken and the car resumes its journey again. I lean back in my seat and continue staring out of the window. But this time, there's an amused expression on my face as I think back to the female. She looks pretty average, nothing special about her. Unlike most females, I notice that she has terrible fashion taste, judging from her plain grey tee and old jeans. She's nothing compared to the ladies that Bardo forces me to keep company with.

But oh well, I have to give her credit for being so amusing. Since she actually made my day slightly different than usual.

~ oOo ~

It's late evening now. Ken drops Neil and me off at the Beauté Bar. My bodyguards in the other car stay outside to guard. We slip into the posh bar and make our way to our regular spot at the glossy bar counter. From afar, I notice a flirtatious blond man with several coquettish women already surrounding him. When he sees me coming, he waves me over elegantly. This brings the ladies' attention towards me and they all squeal in delight at the sight of me. Resisting the impulse to roll my eyes, I plaster a fake smile on my face and walk towards them.

"Sit here, my nephew." Bardo pats the seat beside him and I sit down. He calls a barista over and orders a drink for me.

"So, Uncle…" I speak charmingly. My tone sends the females fawning over me, but I pay them no attention and continue talking to him. "Is there any particular _good_ reason why you call me here today?"

He grins at me, unable to detect my underlying sarcasm. "To spend time with the pretty ladies, of course."

My smile is instantly replaced with a scowl. "If only you were this hardworking towards your job instead of entertaining females."

Memories of him bringing girls to the office haunt my mind. Seriously, can't he just stop turning my company into a brothel? He's my vice president, but he doesn't act like one. He needs to know that he should separate his personal and business issues. However, not once has he listened to me before. I silently swear to myself that one day, I would personally put him in a mental hospital myself.

The barista places a vodka martini cocktail in front of me politely before leaving. I take a sip of it to calm myself down.

"My, my, Livius. Don't be unhappy. You need a good break now and I'm doing you a big favor. Just relax and enjoy this." He gestures to a few ladies and gets them to sit beside me.

A redhead wearing a blood red mini dress starts speaking to me seductively. "Livius-sama, tell me more about you." She giggles, using a neatly-manicured hand to cover her mouth.

Unfortunately for her, I pay her no heed. I finish the rest of my cocktail and stand up quickly. "I'm in no mood for this," I announce loudly. Bardo frowns at me while the rest of the ladies whine in disappointment and try to get me to stay.

"I'm leaving, enjoy yourself." I ignore all of their dejected looks and walk away. Neil, who has been waiting for me, bows slightly to Bardo and follows after me. We both leave the bar quickly. Night has fallen already and there is quite a number of people on the streets shopping. Making my way to the limousine swiftly, I slide in before anyone could recognize me and Neil follows suit.

"Home, sir?" Ken asks me.

"Yeah," I answer flatly.

The limousine pulls out from its position with my bodyguards' car following closely behind. My eyes shift to the sight outside the glass window involuntarily as the vehicle moves. My mind starts to wander off elsewhere when suddenly, something catches my eye.

"Stop the car."

My unexpected order makes the two people sitting at the front surprised. Ken obeys and stops the car at the side of the road immediately. I open the door hurriedly and step out. Neil questions my actions from inside the car but I can't seem to hear him at all. My mind is fixed on somewhere else.

Right in front of me, there are rows of shops and a wide circle space with many benches and bushes. Rowdy, young teenagers and adults roam the whole area. And they are mostly males too. It doesn't seem to be a safe place for vulnerable girls.

But I'm not interested in this place. I'm staring at a person sitting on one of the benches.

Bright pink shoe on the left feet and neon green on the right.

It's the girl from earlier today.

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A/N: My utmost appreciation towards these people who put a smile on my face. :)

Thanks YourBuddyBJ-Z nhalltheway LiviFangirl!

Please leave reviews, it helps me a lot in writing! :D


	3. Chapter 2 The First Wish

A/N: Lolli-chan is back with another chapter! Sorry for the wait, there's just so much planning to do. I'm not sure if this fic will work out well but I'll do my best! I do hope that you guys will enjoy this and leave comments! (^_^ )/

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Disclaimer: I do not own Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii (WHYYYY!? *sobs*), but I do own the plot and the characters that I come up with.

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~ Chapter Two: The First Wish ~

**_Nike_**

I don't feel like going home and facing the torment from my sisters so I wander around aimlessly for the rest of the day. My mind is somewhere far away as I walk on the streets blindly. I don't bother noticing where I'm at as long as I'm alone. Right now, I need absolute peace and silence to myself in order to sort out my mind properly.

Even when night has fallen, I make no move to go back home yet. My stomach doesn't growl for food since I have no appetite to eat. Sure enough, my feet are aching from all the walking. I sigh to myself and sit down on a bench at a random and unfamiliar place.

Moping. Yep, that's what I'm currently doing. It's something that I'm good at. If my grandmother saw me like this, I would definitely receive a beating. However, people who know me well will know that whenever I mope over unhappy things, I'll mope only for a day. And after that, I'll pick myself up and be strong again. That's how I have survived for the past twenty years of my clumsy life.

Otherwise, I would have become suicidal.

I sit there, lost in my own thoughts, for about ten minutes before some weirdo with dark brown hair and green eyes, comes up to me and sits beside me. He leans a hand on the bench behind me and puts on his charming smile.

"Hey, pretty. Why're you alone? Want me to keep you company?" he asks me friendly.

Oh good grief. A guy is trying to hit on me when I'm in a terrible mood? Doesn't he know that his voice and smile are having an opposite effect on me? And who's pretty? I know I'm not. He's making me sick. Ignoring him, I scoot over to the other side of the bench away from him.

His eyebrows twitch in annoyance and he scoots closer to me while keeping his smile in place. "Ouch, that's rude." He places a hand over his chest and feigns being in pain. "I feel hurt that you're ignoring me. Don't do that to me, sweetheart. Come on, I know that you're having a terrible day so why not you and I go to somewhere fun and do something sexy?" He winks at me.

This annoying jerk.

"I'm afraid not," I speak for the first time. Trying to maintain my composure, I throw him a dark look. "I will absolutely love it if you could just leave me alone." And then I stand up and attempt to walk away.

"Hey!" The guy grabs my arm and pulls me to his body roughly. The smile on his face is replaced with an irritated look. I try to remove my hand from him but his grip on me tightens.

"Let go!"

"I would, if you were nice to me just now."

Our faces are inches from each other and I can feel his breath on my face. I can smell strong cigar smoke and a faint smell of alcohol. Crap, what have I gotten myself in? I don't like this guy at all. He reeks of trouble. I'm not sure if I could handle him myself.

The disgusted and slightly scared expression on my face makes him smirk at me. "Scared now, huh?" he asks. "I was really nice to you a while ago but you rejected me." His eyes scan me from head to toe. "I said you were pretty but that's a lie. You're kind of plain-looking but I guess I can play with you for a while." He gives me a sly smug. His left hand reaches up to my face in an attempt to trail a finger across my cheek. Probably to make me feel more scared of him.

A hand grabs his left arm out of nowhere and stops him.

"I say that you let go of the lady before anything happens to you." A calm, silky male voice interrupts us. We both turn to look at the owner of the new voice.

A male with jet black hair stares at the both of us. He is wearing a stunning dark blue suit and white tie with black sunglasses that conceals his eyes, a complete opposite of our casual clothes. His grip on the other guy's arm is really strong and he looks like he isn't letting go anytime soon.

"And who do you think you are? Interrupting the conversation that I'm having with my girl," the jerk demands. Upon hearing his words, my head snaps to him and I glare icily at him.

"Ah, _your girl_?" The grip on him tightens as the mysterious guy speaks icily. Even though he isn't taller than the jerk, his demeanor is frightening enough. "Then you shouldn't treat _your girl_-" He tightens his grip on the guy's arm even more painfully and he starts yelping in pain. "-violently. Besides, she doesn't seem to agree with what you said."

"Stop, stop! Please, I beg you!" he cries.

The guy releases him roughly. "Be gone," he said coolly. His threatening tone is enough to send shivers down my spine. The jerk trembles and runs off like a coward, never looking back once.

An awkward silence lapses between us. "T-thank you very much," I start. "I didn't know how to handle him at all."

The mysterious guy merely glances at me behind his sunglasses. "You're welcome," he replies. "But you shouldn't be around here alone. Haven't you _at least_ seen where you are at?" He gestures to the people around us, which I finally notice that there are a lot of rowdy teens and young adults. Mostly males.

"And," he continues on. "Have you seen your shoes too? I can't believe you actually walk around like this." He waves at my feet. Confused, I glance down and yelp in surprise immediately.

Shit, my shoes a-are freaking mismatched! What have I been doing with my life today? A bright pink canvas shoe on the left foot and a neon green shoe on the right!? Good grief, I should have paid more attention to what shoes I have grabbed from the shoe rack in the morning! I can't believe that I have been walking around like this for the whole entire day! This is so extremely, terribly and awfully embarrassing! If only the ground could swallow me up right here and right now!

My cheeks turn beet red in embarrassment. "I-I...d-didn't-" I fumble with my words, but I can't seem to find any good reason to cover up my mistake. Mortified, I flush a deeper shade of red and hang my head.

The guy observes my reactions before contemplating something in his mind. "Come on, follow me." He motions for me to follow him before he strides ahead of me and leads the way. Not knowing what else to do, I follow what he said and walk closely behind him. We move through the crowd and head down the street.

"Where're we going?" I ask.

Without looking back, he replies me smoothly.

"To save your face."

A while later, we arrive at some shop that sells branded shoes and he is about to enter when I suddenly grab his arm to stop him. "No, wait!" I protest. "We don't have to buy shoes for me! It's fine, I-I can just g-go home like this!" And I have got no money to pay for branded shoes!

He raises one brow at me and eyes my hand on his arm. Getting the clear message, I remove it immediately.

"Since I was the one who saved you, you should listen to me now," he insists stubbornly. And then he proceeds to push me into the shop despite my protests. He makes me sit down on a comfy red sofa while he speaks to a salesperson and picks some shoes for me. I glance around the expensive shop nervously, feeling so out of place.

He comes to me a few minutes later with the salesperson carrying different pairs of shoes. "Try them," he orders me. I'm about to protest, but remembering his coldness from earlier makes me gulp and obey him. I do as he says and finally, he seems satisfied with a pair of floral lace espadrilles. It's a really gorgeous pair of shoes that doesn't deserve to have an owner like me with such poor taste in fashion. This bitter thought makes me feel like bashing my head against the wall.

"I'll take this pair," he tells the salesperson. He goes up to the payment counter and takes out a Black Card from his wallet. Wait, what? Is he going to pay for me!? And good grief, A BLACK CARD!?

"No, no, no!" I exclaim. "You don't have to do this! I'll pay!"

He sighs before turning to me. "Stupid woman," he says. "Stop fussing and let me do this."

Stunned by his words, I gape at him and watch him pay. I can't believe he said that! Are my ears working well? Did he just freaking call me a stupid woman? And here I thought he was actually being nice to me. Well, turns out I was wrong.

We leave the shop quickly after paying. Once we are outside, I face him properly. I decide to ignore the fact that he just called me stupid considering all the things that he has done for me. "Thank you for everything," I tell him. "I'm really indebted to you even though I don't know you. If I could repay you back with something, please tell me."

He thinks over what I said before speaking. "Since you put it in that way, I guess I won't refuse. You'll give me anything that I want, right? As a form of repayment."

I nod my head, agreeing to what he said. I can't refuse what he says, because he did indeed save me. But why on earth am I getting a bad feeling about this?

He smiles coolly at me. "So, you owe me three wishes."

I'm bewildered. "Three?" I gasp in surprise. "Why?"

He smirks at me and holds up three fingers to rattle off like a list. "First, you knock into my car in the morning before running off after endangering the lives of three men. Second, I save you from that guy earlier. Third, I bought you shoes to save you from any further embarrassment. There you go, you've to grant three wishes of mine."

Crap, my gut feeling is right. There's something that he's plotting in mind when he bought those shoes for me! And he was in that car…

"You were in that car?" I squeak, flabbergasted at his words. "I'm terribly sorry!" I bow my head deeply as I apologize. This is so coincidental, I can't imagine that this guy who saved me is the owner of the limousine. He could have sued me for knocking into his car but instead, he asks me to grant his wish. Is this something good or bad?

"I'll accept your apology when you grant my first wish. I'll be frank about it then." His eyes twinkle with amusement as he stares and waits for me to ask.

"Hmm... What's your first wish?" I ask hesitantly.

His lips pull back into a grin before forming the next few words.

"Be my girlfriend."

~ oOo ~

**_Livius_**

The girl that I met today is so interesting and she never fails to surprise me.

She gapes at me in disbelief when I tell her to be my girlfriend. It's so unladylike, but her expression makes me want to laugh out loud. However, I hold myself back for the sake of showing her that I'm not joking with her and I'm being all serious about it.

Ten seconds later, she closes her mouth and ponders for a while. Finally, she answers me firmly.

"No."

Huh?

Blinking a couple of times, I shake my head slightly to make sure I'm not dreaming. Did she just reject me?

"Why not?" I demand. A scowl is itching to crawl up to my face but I hold it in.

She stares at me seriously. "Because," she begins. "I've no idea who you're. I don't even know your name, age, hobbies, nothing. You know nothing about me either. So, how can we be in a relationship? And why me?"

"We can slowly get to know each other. As for your second question…" I muse. "I guess you fit the role at the right time."

Her face changes to disappointment. "So you want to play with me like the guy earlier? Then you aren't different from him after all."

Hearing her compare me to that insignificant guy makes me annoyed. Removing my sunglasses swiftly, I step closer to her quickly before she can move backwards. I tilt her chin slightly upwards with my fingers to look straight into my eyes.

"Don't ever compare me with that douchebag. Even if I do want entertainment, I won't do dirty stuff with you so you don't have to worry. Like I said earlier, you owe me." I notice her lower lip quivering slightly and soften my harsh tone. "So, will you do it, or not?"

She debates with herself for a while, before shaking her head slowly.

"No, I'm sorry… Please ask me for something else. I can pay you back your money or something. I don't think I can handle being in your world."

I sigh in exasperation. I can't believe she rejected me! This woman! She's such a stubborn one! And I don't think she realizes who I'm despite taking off my sunglasses.

"Look at my face, don't you notice something?" Irritation laces in my voice. "Don't you recognize me?" My questions only make her even more confused as her face scrunches up. There is no recognition in her eyes as she stares at my face. How is this possible? Every single human out there in the world should know me. But this person doesn't know me, does she live in a cave?

I sigh once again. Geez, remind me again why am I doing this to a girl?

"You should think about this carefully," I advise her. "And meanwhile, I'm not giving up on this." I release her chin and step backwards, moving closer to my limousine and bodyguards. I'm well aware that exposing my face for too long will be dangerous for me. A couple of people are already noticing and recognizing me.

"I've to leave now. You'll see yourself home safely, I hope? The next time I see you, I hope you'll finally know who I am." I smirk at her. She stands there, unmoving, as I wave coolly. Neil opens the door and I slide into my car easily. I notice her eyes are still fixed me as I leave the place. Her figure grows smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror as the car drives away. Eventually, she disappears and I finally take my eyes off the mirror.

"Livius-sama, what was all that about?" Neil asks curiously.

I shrug my shoulders. "Just finding some entertainment for myself."

~ oOo ~

**_Nike_**

I don't understand him.

_"Look at my face, don't you notice something? Don't you recognize me?"_

Huh? Why exactly was he asking me that? Am I supposed to know him? Do we even know each other in the past? I would love it if he could explain it to me properly but no, he left without even doing that. Now I'm stuck with lots of questions in my head and nobody except him can answer them.

Thinking back, when he took off those sunglasses, I didn't expect him to be looking so young and…and handsome! Good grief, those alluring midnight blue eyes and attractive features make him look like a celebrity. He doesn't seem to be any older than me, but the way he behaves is like an adult. Like the way he saved me. His name and age remain as a mystery and I'm, in fact, very curious about that.

But asking me to be his girlfriend out of the blue!? That's impossible! Doesn't he know we aren't fit to be together? He clearly belongs in a different world from me. We cannot be together. Furthermore, I don't want to be his play toy or whatsoever. I refuse to be in a relationship where both parties don't have real feelings for each other. No way!

_"You should think about this carefully. And meanwhile, I'm not giving up on this."_

Whatever man! Bring it on! I won't be changing my mind anyway, so I'm afraid he will be disappointed. He can ask me for anything else except asking me to be his girlfriend.

I huff to myself and enter my house. Once I'm inside, I can hear my sisters' lively chatter. I walk into the living room and find them sitting or lying on the sofas while watching the television. I dump my bag on the floor and plop down on the sofa beside them.

"My, my. Nike, what's wrong? Your face looks horrible."

Mira, the eldest sister, asks me while she paints her fingernails and toenails professionally. She's the most prettiest among us. Currently working as an actress, her popularity has been increasing a lot. You'll see her face on the advertisements or dramas often. She's twenty-three years old and has great potential in the media industry. Long hazelnut hair, emerald green eyes with big woman's assets, a great number of guys are wooing her now.

"Thanks," I mutter. I hug a cushion to my chest sourly.

Nia, my second sister, stares at me. "Your audition didn't go well again? I told you to be prepared last night, didn't I?" She's usually nice but when it comes to auditions or competitions, she likes to be strict with me and lectures me. She's the most confident among us. Being a young violinist herself, she aims to be a professional in the future. Right now, she's about to enter a national competition to compete with others. She's beautiful and looks like Mira. But the only difference between them is their hair color. Nia is twenty-two years old with glossy shamrock green hair. She likes to tie her hair up into a high ponytail to show her long, graceful neck.

"I was late," I reply glumly. Why are they making me feel worse?

"Now, stop picking on our poor little sister. She's feeling terrible already." My third sister, Kara, pats my shoulder soothingly. She's the most understanding among all of us. Every single time Mira and Nia pick on me, Kara is my savior. She's pretty too, even if she has a short, boyish hairstyle. Her sunshine hair color is really eye-catching. She's stoic and never really shows her anger. Out of all of us, Kara is the most intelligent sister. She's studying to be a geologist in the University of Tokyo and is a year younger than Nia.

And of course, I'm Nike. The youngest sister in the family who's the clumsiest out of everyone. I'm twenty years old.

"Thank you." I smile gratefully at her. She shrugs and ruffles my hair playfully. "You can always audition at other places," she says.

Nia thinks over seriously and tells me. "I'll keep an eye out for any competitions or auditions for you. Just don't mess up again." I gulp at her threatening eyes and nod my head quickly. But I know she means well.

"Next time, don't you dare wear plain clothes to an important audition," Mira eyes my clothes in distaste from the other sofa. "Your first impression is important too. Wear my clothes if you need to, I don't mind."

I don't dare to say this, but her clothes are way too revealing. "Thanks Nee-san!" I grin at her. I know that she's weak against my smiles. But it's not just her, everyone else in the family too.

"How's your practice going, Nia nee-san?" I ask.

She sighs and I see that she's having some trouble. "It's going fine, but I think I need more practice. I feel that something is missing from my piece. Maybe I should ask Sensei?" she mumbles the last part to herself. I can tell she's really into this.

"If there's anything I can help you, just tell me!" I enthuse. She seems surprise at me and pulls my cheeks. "Don't worry about me, worry about yourself!" she scolds teasingly.

"I'm leaving for an overseas school trip on Monday," Kara announces suddenly. Nia and I stop our bickering and glance at her. "Where to?" we question in unison.

"Iceland. We're going to see a volcano."

"Whoa, take more pictures. I wanna see them!" Mira's eyes shine brightly. They both start discussing about Kara's trip while I flip through a magazine that's lying on the table. I scan for Mira's pictures but I happen to come across a picture of someone else. Shocked stiff, I stare into the magazine.

"What're you looking at-" Mira notices my reaction and grabs the magazine. "-kyaaaaa," she starts squealing like a fan girl. "It's Livius Seymour. OH MY GOD, he looks so gorgeous and manly here." She starts kissing the photo of him.

"Eww, watch your saliva, Mira!" Nia moves away from her in horror. Kara keeps a distance away from her too, but peeks a little to see the picture that she's kissing. "Oh, him again?" she asks.

I snap out of my shock and look at Mira. "Mira nee-san!" I call her but she doesn't respond until I call her several times. "Wh-what?" She looks up from the magazine giggly and I swear there are hearts hovering above her head.

"Who's that guy in the picture?"

She seems stupefied by my question. "Him?" she gasps. "How could you not know HIM?" It isn't hard for her to launch into the details of that particular guy in the magazine quickly.

Livius Seymour. A nineteen-year-old guy who's a prodigy and the successor of the well-known Seymour family. He graduated from Harvard University at the age of thirteen and is able to speak in five different languages fluently. Currently, he's the president of the Seymour's global company that owns resorts, hotels, top apparel brands and many more. He's a half Japanese and was born in London. Drop-dead gorgeous looks and great wealth, it's a no wonder everybody in the world knows him.

Except me. I'm so clueless about him until now. And why is that so? That's a question that I can't answer. I don't think I have been reading enough magazines or catching up on the daily gossips at home and school to know about him.

_"The next time I see you, I hope you'll finally know who I am."_

Yeah, I know you now…Livius Seymour.

And I have a feeling that things in my life are going to be even crazier after meeting him.

* * *

A/N: Finally, their ages are revealed! Although Livi is taller than Nike in this fic, I made sure to stick to the fact that Nike is still older than him! :)

Many thanks to these kind souls who reviewed the first chapter and touched my heart with their sweet words!

YourBuddyBJ-Z kh07gl nhalltheway LiviFangirl

(LiviFangirl, I couldn't PM you so leave your email behind! :D)


	4. Chapter 3 The Seymour Heir's Girlfriend

A/N: Happy New Year to everyone out there! Have a great 2015 ahead! :D Before we move on to the story, let's recall some stuff. *winks winks*

* * *

_Recap: Nike has finally found out the identity of the mysterious person who saved her. However, she stubbornly refuses to be his girlfriend. How will he handle this and make her his girlfriend?_

* * *

~ Chapter Three: The Seymour Heir's Girlfriend ~

**_Nike_**

I take my words back.

Nothing has changed at all. My life still remains the same even after meeting Livius Seymour.

And why am I saying all these? It's because it has been more than a week ever since that guy asked me to be his girlfriend. I was expecting a call from him to beg me, but it never come. Although he doesn't have my number, I'm pretty sure he can pull some strings to contact me. He's Livius Seymour after all.

Those words that he said that time, I could tell that he was being really serious about it. But right now, I'm not sure about that.

I have never met him anymore and I'm starting to think that whatever had happened on that night was merely a joke. I should have known from the start that his words didn't mean anything. But this is better for the both of us, right?

I'm not disappointed. Yes, I'm not. And why are you giving me that look of doubt?

I groan to myself and roll around on my bed restlessly. For the past few days, my mind has been invaded with the images of Livius and I can't seem to get them out of my head. I have no idea as to why am I behaving like this. He's just a guy that I have spoken to for about an hour. He shouldn't matter much to me.

But he saved my life…

Is this the reason why I can't seem to stop thinking about him? Or is it the fact that I know his identity now? That he's the president of Seymour? Am I…smitten by his looks!? Am I supposed to be fantasizing over him like the other girls?

I'm absolutely clueless.

Or perhaps I feel the urgent need to repay him for helping me. But asking me to be his girlfriend? No, no, no! That's out of the question!

I hit my face with my pillow to get back my sanity. Enough thinking about him, Nike! Time to move on with your own life! Besides, he may have already given up knowing that I would refuse him over and over again. It's a futile attempt to argue with me, especially since I'm an extremely stubborn girl.

My smartphone rings and vibrates loudly suddenly, interrupting the silence in the house. I crawl out of bed and grab it from my study table before pressing a button to answer the call immediately.

"Hello?"

"Nike-chan! I miss you!" A booming female voice exclaims from the other line.

"Ahh! Mina-chan! How are you?" My voice grows excited as I speak to my best friend. It seems like ages since I have last seen her. I have known her ever since high school and we are almost as close as sisters.

"Great! But the summer heat is really getting to me. Hey, do you wanna hang out with us today before this summer holiday ends?" she asks excitedly.

There's only a week left before the new semester starts. I might as well head out of the house. It's not like I have anything on anyway. Mira is currently busy filming a new drama and Nia has went out with her boyfriend. Kara is still away on her school overseas trip and I'm rotting at home.

"Sure!" I reply her.

"Cool! Meet us at the usual spot in Shibuya at 12pm!" she says. "And don't be late!"

I smile to myself. I can't wait to hang out with our clique and have some fun again.

"See you there!"

~ oOo ~

**_Livius_**

After sitting like a robot for who knows how many years or centuries, the first human thing that I do is to yawn loudly.

"Finally, I'm done…"

After pulling an all-nighter in my office last night, I finally finished looking through all the proposals and signing the documents. I stand up from my office chair and stretch my stiff body. Walking across the room, I plop down onto my lavish lounge chair and shut my eyes. I give in to my exhaustion and allow sleep to overcome me.

Not long later, a soft knock on the door wakes me up from my nap. I mumble a complaint in my sleep and groan to myself. I throw an arm over my eyes and attempt to go back to sleep.

"Livius-sama, I'm coming in."

I hear the doors open and the harmless intruder enters the office without waiting for my reply. I think that when he sees me, he immediately becomes concern for me because he asks me worriedly.

"Are you feeling unwell, Livius-sama?"

Opening my mouth, my groggy and tired voice answers him with a lifeless reply. "No, just sleepy."

He sets the tray that he's holding on the coffee table gently. I hear him move around the office, before something soft covers my body.

"Thanks, Neil…" I mumble gratefully to him. I can feel that sleep is nudging me and trying to pull me away again.

"You deserve a good nap," he replies softly. "There're no plans for you today and tomorrow so take a good rest."

"Good…" I remark sleepily, my voice trailing off. Without knowing it, I doze off.

I dream again, like always. But this time, it's different. Unlike the usual nightmares that always hunt me continuously, I dream of something nice and warm for the first time.

I dream of…_her._

_We are in a park. Surrounding us are breathtaking cherry blossoms trees and soft pink petals flutter around us. Mellow golden sunshine graces upon us as we stand a couple of meters away from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Neither one of us are moving or talking. _

_Her eyes are a bright aquamarine color that threatens to pierce through my heart and soul. Her sheeny long peach orange hair dances along with the wind and the way she stands tells you that she's not one to back down easily. Brave, stubborn, warm, honest… I can't bear to look away from her. The look in her eyes seems as though she's able to rip off the strong walls that I have built around my heart. _

_She seems to shine beautifully right before my eyes._

_Unknowingly, my legs move to close the distance between us and my hands reach out towards her desperately. For the first time, I'm afraid that she will disappear. I want to touch her and not let her slip through my fingers. _

_When she sees me coming, her lips form a smile. Her hands catch mine and she grasps my hands tightly._

_"You aren't alone." These are the words that I hear before it all ends._

I gasp awake, my heart racing fast. I sit up quickly and look around, feeling disoriented, before realizing that I'm in my office. I sigh and brush through my hair with my fingers. I'm disappointed that the dream ended way too fast.

I know that she's different. And her being different has done something huge to me, something that's hard to remove from my mind. She's even appearing in my dreams now, and this can only mean one thing.

"Congratulations on grabbing my attention, Girl-with-Mismatched-Shoes," I say to myself. "You have to take responsibility for what you've done to me."

Neil isn't around so I walk across the room and push a button on the office phone. My assistant secretary answers quickly.

"Get Neil in," I instruct her before ending the call swiftly. I sit behind my office table and wait for my butler. He enters the office twenty seconds after I have made the call.

"Yes, Livius-sama?" Neil bows gracefully.

"Have you done the thing that I've asked you to do?" I ask him.

"Yes. I have found out everything about her – her background, family, education..." he answers. "And it seems that her family is facing a problem at the moment."

My eyebrows raise in curiosity. "What problem?"

He begins to reveal what he had found and I listen to him intently. Once he's done, I give him a task immediately and he obeys. Bowing once again, Neil leaves the room quickly. I lean into my chair and smirk to myself.

"I bet she thinks that I've given up." I speak to the empty room. I think back to how that girl rejected the idea of being my girlfriend so easily. I haven't seen her for quite a while and I bet that she must have thought that I have given up already.

"But sadly, I'm Livius Seymour and I don't give up that easily."

~ oOo ~

**_Nike_**

I thought that I was going to have some fun with my clique today. But no, it actually turns out to be quite the opposite…

...that is, if you considered watching somebody having a mental breakdown beside you, fun.

"HE BROKEEEE UP WITH ME! THAT IDIOT!"

We are all sitting in a cafe. Loud sobs and the rough sound of papers getting torn into pieces make the rest of us sweatdrop nervously. We all stare at our mad friend. Angry tears streak her face as she rips her ex-boyfriend's love letters into pieces. The commotion from our table has caused strangers to cast weird looks at us, but all we can do is to offer them sheepish and apologetic smiles.

We turn back to look at our poor friend when she begins to tell us her story.

"He went for a summer vacation at California. And he didn't reply to any of my emails, so I-" she hiccups. "-went to stalk him on Twitter. And it turned out that he's actually having a _foreign _girlfriend behind my back! They took a picture together at a beach! A BEACH, YOU KNOW! He was in a surfers shorts and carrying a surfing board. That slut was in a bikini! The worse thing was that he was putting his hands around her waist! I immediately messaged him to tell him that 'WE ARE OVER'! And then I deleted his number and pictures and everything! THAT IDIOTTT! HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO ME!? AFTER WE WERE TOGETHER FOR A YEAR!?" She rips the last of his letters violently, before breaking down into sobs again. The rest of us exchange looks.

I'm the first brave soul who tries to console her. It breaks my heart to see this smart, straightforward and bold girl crying her heart out over a brainless guy. Arisu is a pretty and tall brunette with ebony eyes. That guy is really dumb to not treasure his girlfriend. My hands reach out to her and I pull her into a hug.

"Arisu-chan, let it all out." I rub her back in circles soothingly. "It's okay, you did the right thing."

A girl with red ochre hair that's tied into two long braids and has emerald eyes, comes over to us and hugs us together. "Yeah, Arisu-chan. We're here for you, just let it all out," Mina encourages.

Someone cracks his knuckles loudly. "That dude is dead," Kyo growls angrily. He flexes his muscles for good measure. "How could he make Arisu-kun cry?" He cracks his knuckles again with a threatening glint in his topaz eyes. His bronze hair is spiked high and his buff figure easily intimidates people. However, Kyo is a really nice guy who dislikes his friends getting upset or bullied by others.

"Here, take this." Kitora offers Arisu tissues, which she accepts gratefully. "We don't like to see you cry, Arisu-chan." With slightly long green hair that covers one of his amber eyes, he smiles at her kindly.

"Ara ara, Arisu-chan. Don't you cry anymore! There're other wonderful guys out there! Take me for example!" Another guy with tousled burgundy red hair and light green eyes puffs out his chest and laughs. "I don't mind having you as my girl-"

"Keep quiet, Shiro-kun!"

We all scold him. Arisu surprises us by standing up and reaching across the table to swat his head. He yelps but grins at her. "Your loss," he teases her. The both of them always love to bicker with each other.

"Thanks, guys." She sniffs and wipes her tears away. "I'll be strong."

Shiro beams widely. "Good, Arisu-chan. Now let's-" he cringes in disgust when she blows her nose into a tissue nosily. "-go to the arcade. You promise me a match there remember?"

"Yeah!" she exclaims. She grabs a glass of water off the table and chugs down the water. When she's done, she smacks it down on the table hard and takes a deep breath. "Let's go now! I need to vent my anger and I'll use it to defeat you in the game, Shiro-kun!" She points at him with a determined look.

"You'll never beat me, Arisu-chan!"

"We shall see about that!"

"Here we go again..." Mina, Kyo, Kitora and I shake our heads at their bickering.

We leave the cafe and head towards the nearest arcade. I watch Arisu and Shiro as they continue their usual bicker. She seems to have cheered up a little and I'm glad for her. A sad and depressed expression doesn't suit her at all.

"Nike, what've you been doing during your summer holidays?" Kitora asks suddenly. He comes to walk beside me. I glance up at him before replying.

"Nothing much. Just lazing around in the house."

"Haha, then how was your audition?'

"Ugh... I failed before it even started," I grimace.

He gives me a gentle smile. "You'll be able to audition again at other places, I'm sure of it. You're really talented at singing."

I smile back at him. He's such a nice and encouraging person. "Thank you."

We arrive at the arcade minutes later. Arisu and Shiro dash to one of the military machines and pick up the rifles excitedly. Kyo drags Kitora to another machine to compete each other in a car race. Mina and I head over to one of the claw toy machines. We start to fawn over all the cute toys and insert coins to play the machine.

I'm the first one to play. "I'm getting it... Yes, I'm getting... WAIT WHAT!? NO WAY!" The claw misses a puppy toy. "I was so close..." I whine.

"My turn!" Mina takes over eagerly. She targets a pink bunny toy and pushes a button to lower the claw slowly. It grabs at nothing and goes back to its position. Mina and I groan in disappointment. This is really hard, but we continue to try again and again. Unfortunately, no matter how many tries we take, we still can't get a single toy.

"Having trouble?" Kitora's voice asks us from behind. We turn around immediately.

"Yeah... We failed miserably." We both flash a depressed look.

Kyo comes up towards us quietly. "Let me try," he says. We both make way for him and he inserts a coin into the machine to start playing. We fix our eyes on him and stay silent. Kyo frowns and he's really concentrating hard to get a toy for us.

After positioning the claw carefully, he lowers it into the pile of toys and grabs. The claw retreats upwards and it's holding on to a kitten toy. Good grief! How in the world did he do it in a single try!?

"You're amazing, Kyo-kun!" I cry out happily.

"Totally awesome!" Mina adds.

He seems to blush a little at our praises as he hands us the toy coolly. We thank him and jump happily on the spot. Mina begs him to get another toy for us again and he obliges. Kitora stands beside him and cheers him on too. We watch them closely, thrilled that we can actually get more toys since Kyo is a professional at this.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I fish it out and stare at the screen. I'm surprise at the name of the caller - it's my father. I answer the call quickly.

"Otou-san?"

"Hey, Nike! How are you doing? And how are your sisters?" he asks. It's great to hear his voice again, but I sense something weird in his tone. Am I imagining it?

"We're all fine, Otou-san! You don't have to worry about us. How's Okaa-san and Obaa-san?" I ask.

"Ah! They're all fine! You don't have to worry about us either. Business is really going well..."

My family owns a small resort with a hot spring in Kyoto and my father runs it. My sisters and I moved to Tokyo a few years ago so that we can pursue our dreams and study here instead. They trust that we are independent and are able to take care of one another well. We go back to Kyoto every single year to visit them.

"That's great to hear! But Otou-san, did something happen? You don't sound well..." I question him.

"A-ah, everything is fine. B-but something small has happened. Listen to me first, okay?" he replies me nervously. I stay silent to let him continue saying on.

"Hmm you see... Otou-san's friend has been tricked by the loan sharks and I happen to be the guarantor. And now, I have a debt to pay and they are trying to make me sell the resort..."

"YOU WHAT!?" I shriek in disbelief. My friends jump in surprise and stop whatever they are doing. They turn to stare at me worriedly. I mutter an apology to them and wave in a motion to tell them that everything is fine. But none of them listen to me and they come closer to me in concern, knowing that something has happened.

"C-calm down..."

"How is that a small thing, Otou-san!?" I demand. "It's a big thing and Obaa-san is going to be really mad. Okaa-san will faint at the news and Mira nee-san, Kara nee-san and Nia nee-san will go crazy!" I know my dad is extremely kind-hearted but he has really landed himself in a bad state this time. Good grief, a debt!?

Even Kami-sama can't drop money from the sky to save us!

"W-wait! Listen to me! I haven't finished saying yet!" Otou-san tells me. I chew on my nails nervously and wait.

"What is it, Otou-san?" My intuition is telling me that there's something even worse that has happened. The brief pause is making me crazy.

"Hmmm, the debt has been paid actually."

"W-what? Who paid it?" I demand. "Tell me!"

"W-well, a man, I think he's a butler, dropped by our house about an hour ago and informed me that his master has paid my debt. He claimed that his master is your boyfriend. Is that true, Nike? Are you dating a-a rich guy?"

My father's words ring in my head for a while as I freeze in shock to register the information in my brain. "No way..." I gasp. My hand that's holding on to my phone drops to my side and I stare in astonishment at the ground. My mind is in a whirl.

Somebody actually paid my father's debt...because of me. And I know exactly who's that person is in my mind.

Unbelievable... I can't believe he's doing this. Is this his way of making me his girlfriend?

I shake my head violently. "Sorry guys," I say. "I'm leaving first! Something has cropped up!" I turn on my heels and fly out of the arcade hurriedly without bothering to hear their responses. I will apologize to them later again because now, I have to go to a company called Seymour quickly.

I sprint really fast and the only thing that's on my mind is _his _face.

I really need to question him myself.

* * *

A/N: Anybody realize that Mina is from the first episode of the anime? Nike and her seems to get on really well so I figured she should have a role in this fic too. :) Remember Kitora? He's the one who has an unrequited love for her in the anime and manga.

Although the number of views is slightly disappointing, the reviews really perked me up! I'm glad to know there are such adorable readers out there! *cries happily* :')

Thanks nanymilan LiviFangirl LovingDreamer ZeroRose90 Allora22701 anime07 CrescentMoonTenshi!

(LiviFangirl, my email is out on my profile!)

(ZeroRose90, nope they don't have any powers sadly.)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me and I'll reply you. As for guests, do give me your email or send me an email with your questions. (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑


	5. Chapter 4 A Wild Goose Chase

A/N: I'm finally back with an update for this! ^_^; I'm sincerely sorry to all for taking such a long time! For those who don't know, school life got in my way again with exams, projects and presentations. But it's finally break now! Gomenasai! m(_ _)m

I hope that you guys didn't forget the story. But it's my fault if you do. *sweatdrops*

* * *

_Recap: Fate is really playful for it has brought two people from different worlds together. When Nike thought that the drop dead gorgeous heir has given up on her, she never expected him to hatch a plot behind her back in order to get what he wants. When she heard the news from her dad, off she goes to seek for the guy that every girl wants..._

* * *

~ Chapter Four: A Wild Goose Chase ~

**_Nike_**

Hands on my hips and craning my head up, I stand under the glare of the sun while sweat is rolling down my forehead and neck. My breathing is erratic and my muscle-less legs are screaming in pain from all the running. My top clings to my sweaty skin and my stray hairs are already sticking out annoyingly.

The Seymours, they really are a prestigious family. When I reached their company's building, I'm amazed by how luxurious it is. Even the company sign is ostentatious. Employees stepping in and out of the building are wearing expensive office suits. I snap out of my gaze and glance down at my plain attire. Should I really enter in this manner?

If it isn't for that one particular Seymour who is annoyingly the hell out of me, I won't be standing here right now. I could be with my friends and enjoying myself. But here I'm standing right in front of his company, perspiring like mad, and wanting to demand for answers.

However, I'm hesitant too. My legs aren't moving. I'm afraid to enter, afraid to be stared at. I will stand out with this unsightly appearance.

But but... Something is nagging at me in my mind. Answers... I need them. It's more important than whatever I'm wearing now, right?

"Argh... Whatever! Let's just get this done and over with!" I huff. With my hands, I smooth my hair and the creases on my clothes in one last attempt to look at least presentable. It terribly fail though.

I march straight into the glossy building and go up to the front counter, forcing myself not to look at others except the people behind the counter. When they see me approaching, they bow and greet me politely. In such a short time after entering, I can already sense stares boring into my back and I try not to look awkward.

"May I provide you with assistance, Miss?" a female employee asks me with a bright smile. I smile back at her before replying.

"I'm looking for Mr. Livius Seymour."

Her eyes light up suddenly. "Oh! Are you perhaps Miss Nike Fujisaki?" she asks.

My eyebrows shoot up questioningly. "Yes. That's me," I answer. "But how do you know my name?"

"I've been expecting you," she speaks extremely politely. "If you are looking for Mr. Seymour, he has just left."

"Huh? When?" I demand, forgetting to be on my best behaviour. "Do you know where did he go to?"

She continues to smile at me pleasantly. "He left about five minutes ago and he's heading down to his personal tailer's shop called the KingsWear Tailor."

Upon noting down whatever she has said in my mind, I thank her quickly. I recognize the shop name because it is a really famous tailor shop in Japan. And strangely, how does this lady know what I wanted to ask? She said that she was expecting me...

Weird. But never mind, I have more important stuff to do.

I hurry towards the entrance but I happen to run into a group of people there. They seem to be important and powerful, judging from how the regular employees immediately bow down to them. I automatically stop to let them pass through first. When they move past me, my ears pick up on bits and pieces of their conversation unintentionally.

"...Mr. Seymour did a great job on getting the big American company to sign the contract."

"Yeah, he's really capable despite his young age."

"Where did he go to? Isn't he coming for a celebration dinner?"

"Who knows..."

I listen to their words and I'm reminded of the difference in status between Livius Seymour and me. I wonder why did he purposely pick me out of everybody to be his play toy? Saving me, asking me to be his girlfriend, paying off my father's debts... What is he thinking? I don't get him at all. Will he try to blackmail me afterwards? A chill of horror runs down my spine at that thought and I shudder. What did I do to deserve this? Why me?

Wait, wait. Hang on a moment, Nike! Catch a grip and don't scare yourself! Remember, get your answers first!

"Right... Answers first..." I whisper to myself and dash out of the building. I flag down a cab and give directions to the driver. From here, it will take us about ten minutes to reach the tailor shop since we are already in the central business district. This area is only meant for the wealthy people to do their shopping. I lean into my seat and brush my sweaty bangs off my forehead. I take out a rubber band from my bag and tie my hair into a messy ponytail, hoping to give myself a look of determination. I don't want to look intimidated by Livius Seymour when I meet him later. Since Nia nee-san can pull off this look, I hope I can too.

I reach my destination in no time and I rush out of the cab towards the shop. I enter the expensive-looking store immediately and I'm greeted by the salespeople. Not wanting to waste another precious second, I ask them bluntly.

"Where is Mr. Livius Seymour?"

One of the salespeople answers my question instantly. "He has just left after picking up his purchases."

"What!?" I exclaim in disbelief. I have just missed him again? What luck is this!?

"He said that he will be going to the closest book store," the salesperson added. The rest of them nod their heads in agreement.

I sigh loudly. Muttering a word of thanks, I fly out of the shop and run down the street. I fish out my handphone from my pocket and use the GPS to locate the book store. It turns out that there is only one book store in this area and it is the largest in the whole of Japan. It will take me twenty minutes to reach there on foot. I don't want to waste anymore money on cab fares, hence, I have to run. I grit my teeth in annoyance and push myself to run faster despite my legs screaming in pain.

Tell me again, why am I in this state? Because I honestly don't recall myself signing up for a marathon.

~ oOo ~

**_Livius_**

I sit in my car, propping my hand under my chin, and glance out of the window in a bored manner. The limousine is parked right outside the entrance of the library in Umeda and I have been waiting for the past fifteen minutes for a certain someone. But that particular person is taking forever to come.

It seems like she finally knows who I am and she has heard from her dad. I know that she has something to ask me. And I know that she's the kind of person who will not stop finding me until she gets her answers. So yes, I'm deliberately delaying her from seeing me. Oh, so I'm evil? You may call me that since I don't really get bothered by it. Watching her chase after me, I merely see this as a form of entertainment. And maybe, it's a small revenge as well for rejecting my offer in the first place.

"Livius-sama, here she comes," Neil informs me from the front seat.

My eyes shift to the left wing mirror immediately and I see _her _running and panting heavily. Her ponytail is swishing as she runs slowly. Her legs are slowing down as she reach closer and closer.

Oh geez, how much I miss seeing her.

"She really moves like a sloth," I comment. At the same time I speak, she trips on a stone and almost falls.

"And not to mention she's clumsy too."

"Yes, Livius-sama," Neil agrees disinterestedly. "What do we do now?"

I continue to watch her in the wing mirror while contemplating the next move. At this exact moment, her eyes seem to land on my car and she frowns. She must have found it familiar as she squints and thinks hard. I almost burst out in laughter at her scrunched-up face but I hold myself back. Something comes to my mind and I begin pressing the button to lower the car window. I stretch out my left hand and do a 'peace' sign before retracting my hand.

"What the..." I hear her swear and I start laughing, unable to contain it anymore. I order Ken to drive away immediately while pressing a button to roll up the window. Watching the wing mirror, I see her face turns red in annoyance and she chases after the car angrily. She seems to shout something but I can't hear it as the car drives away. I see her trying to flag a cab immediately, flailing her arms wildly. And lucky for her, one stops immediately. She gets on hurriedly and I know she's in pursuit of my car.

"Livius-sama..." Neil stares at me in the rearview mirror. His face is nothing but a look of disbelief while Ken looks a little surprised.

"What?"

He quickly masks his flabbergasted face with an expressionless one. "Err... Never mind, it's nothing," he replies. And then he stares straight ahead with blinking eyes. It's as though he's mulling over something, but I don't ask him about it.

"Ken, drive us to the L'amour de Mademoiselle," I say to the other guy, my tone is a little animated than usual.

"Yes, sir."

~ oOo ~

_**Nike**_

"I officially hate him."

I sit at the backseat of the cab and mutter angrily to myself. Livius Seymour's limousine is right ahead of us and I keep reminding the driver numerous times to follow and not lose sight of that stupid car. After what had happened earlier, the rich boy is beginning to get on my nerves.

"That stupid jerk! Leading me on a wild goose chase... He's doing this on purpose. Making me chase after him and then losing him again... This is the third time already and I'm not gonna lose him! Who does he think he is? The President of this country? Doesn't he know that it's basic courtesy to not make fun of people, especially those whom you have only met once before. He's basically treating me like his dog!"

I snort loudly and keep my eyes on that sleek and shiny vehicle. It is extremely tempting to take a penknife and vandalize his car in revenge. Or perhaps I shall pour bird food all over his limousine when nobody is around and hope that all the birds will leave their poop behind. This will definitely be a mess for him.

But will he sue me? With his overflowing power and wealth, I'm pretty sure he can do things that is considered impossible for others to do. And it is because of this very fact that makes me get scared of him, but I will never ever show it on my face!

After a while, the limousine stops in front of a restaurant called L'amour de Mademoiselle and a man, who is dressed in a butler uniform, steps out immediately to open the door for the audacious yet handsome guy. Seeing the both of them leave their car, I instruct the driver to stop too. I take out $800 yen and almost throw it at the wide-eyed driver as I'm in a hurry. It is also at this precise moment that I finally realize that I have been ranting to him like a mad woman earlier, judging from the way he stares at me in fear.

Wonderful, Nike. Look what you have done to the poor driver.

"Thanks for listening to my ranting," I say to him politely and smile before throwing the door open and stepping out quickly. It is a lousy attempt to cover up my embarrassment, and I might have made him even more frightened. Too bad if the driver is traumatized for life all because of me.

I search for the two men and I see them entering the fancy-looking restaurant. Good grief, how do they walk super fast? I'm just starting to walk towards it now. I know that my status is nothing compared to Livius Seymour. But now, even my speed is incomparable to his! No way, this world isn't fair to me!

Apparently, the word 'fair' doesn't quite apply to me.

I run as fast as I can, despite my limbs feel like they are being torn apart. I think of how he had mocked me earlier and rage fills me as a motivation. Alright, I'll just have to speak to him, get my answers, tell him to stay out of my life and then get out of this place. Everything will go back to normal after this and nothing in my life has changed.

But something at the back of my mind tells me that things won't be the way I expect them to be.

I enter the restaurant, which turns out to be serving French cuisine, and glance around in awe. The place is decorated extravagantly with beautiful chandeliers and candles. The soft glow of light is making me lightheaded. It's too perfect that I feel like I don't belong or deserve to be here. The customers are dressed exceptionally well and I feel this sudden urge to escape. But the anger bubbling inside of me stops me from leaving.

A waiter comes up to serve me and I tell him that I'm looking for someone. He shows me the way in without hesitation. As I walk further into the place, I notice the intricate designs on the walls. I have never been to such a gorgeous restaurant before and I just can't help but to be amazed by everything.

"Right this way, Miss." The waiter leads me up the spiral stairs and we go up to the second floor. Once we are there, I glance around and finally spot a familiar person sitting at a table right beside the glass window in a very private corner.

It is none other than the heir who will knock most girls out with his hotness.

My legs move without me knowing and I stalk over to him with a dark look. When he notices me, his lips immediately curve into a charming smile. It is too dazzling in fact, that if other girls were here, they would have fainted of happiness.

But here I'm thinking that his smile is fake. Underneath his mask is probably all that coldness. When we first met, I have seen how rude he can be and how much he dislikes people touching him. I don't think he will easily let people see his real smile.

"You're finally here," he says calmly.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Livius Seymour?" I demand. "Why did you pay off my father's debts? What are your intentions? What do you want from me?"

He holds up his index finger to stop me. "One question at a time, Miss Fujisaki," he says. "But first, have a seat. Aren't your legs hurting?"

Once again, I grow annoyed as I remember what happened earlier. "Yes, they are. All thanks to a certain _someone."_ I scowl at him while his smile turns to a smirk.

"Well, you're welcome. You needed the exercise."

I give him an appalled look. "What? Are you trying to imply that I'm fat!?"

He remains calm and merely raises his eyebrows. "Of course not. I've never said that, Miss Fujisaki. You just seem like the person who doesn't like exercising," he replies in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Huh, why do you even care about that? And wait a minute, how do you know my name? You check on my background behind my back!?" I shoot him a disbelief look.

He remains composed and clasps his hands together on the table. "Indeed, I did that. And why do I care about you is because I want a healthy girlfriend."

I snort, which is very unladylike. "Me? Your girlfriend? That's impossible! We can never be together and why me? For your information, the 'you fit at the right timing' reason doesn't make any sense. You can choose other girls, not me. You practically have an endless line of girls waiting for you. Why don't you just pick one of them and leave me alone?"

"Precisely," he says. His head cocks to the side, his expression holds unmistakable curiosity. "You aren't chasing after me. That's why I want you."

"Huh?" I'm completely stumped by his reply and my mind goes blank. "That's..it? Because of this, you're using whatever means in order to get me?"

"Yes," he answers bluntly. "Oh, and you're entertaining too."

I cringe at his words. "That doesn't sound like a compliment," I tell him. In fact, it actually sounds bad.

"Fine." He frowns and thinks for a while, choosing his words carefully. "You're...unique then."

My face grows grim. "You hesitated," I point out.

He shakes his head while smirking. "Must be your imagination." He leans into his posh chair and crosses his legs. "Anyway, shall we have dinner now?"

"No, but thank you." I narrow my eyes at him. "I'm not here to have dinner with you. The reason that I'm here is to inform you that I refuse to be your girlfriend and I will not play your games. And I will pay you back my father's debts."

When he hears my words, his smile disappears and he's back to his glacial expression. "Fine, I'll let you go," he says coldly. "But can you even pay me back the sum of money?"

My hands grow clammy and I start to break out in cold sweat. My sixth sense immediately tells me that something is wrong. That this shrewd guy is daring me to ask the question and he knows that he's going to win. What am I going to do?

I swallow hard before speaking. There's definitely no way I cannot ask him. "H-how much is it?" I ask weakly. He's going to win.

His smile returns to his face once again. "$70 million yen. Can you afford it?" He smiles even wider.

I feel the blood drains from my face. I really wish I could wipe that smile off his face. And good grief, $70 million yen is a huge sum! I can never pay him back the money. Even my college savings aren't that much. Do I really have to give up my education and search for a job to repay him back? Besides, it will take me years to accumulate that much money. How on earth am I supposed to repay him back!?

Am I really going to accept his offer and be his girlfriend? It sounds like the easiest solution, but I'm getting an ominous feeling from it.

I surprise him by standing up suddenly, my hands gripping the edges of the table for support. I feel the energy leaving my legs and black dots are starting to appear in the side of my vision. I don't know what's happening to me, but I know that I need to get out of here to take a breather and clear my mind to think better.

"Sorry, I need to go..." My eyes avoid his and I take a wobbling step away from the table. As I attempt to take another step, my legs give way and I fall. I feel the world closing in on me while I hear someone shouts my name vaguely.

Before the darkness takes me away, I feel a warm pair of arms around me.

* * *

A/N: Oh. My. Gawd. I seriously have the most awesome reviewers ever! All your supportive and heartfelt words are making me melt! Hontoni arigatou gozaimashita, I really appreciate and love you guys so much! Thanks to all for the faves and follows too! :') Nothing makes me more happy than knowing that my readers are enjoying the story. Now I'm feeling double the guilt for not updating for the past two months urgh! T_T Gomenasai!

Thanks anime07 CrescentMoonTenshi nanymilan LovingDreamer TripleSmashTwins iiStray KitsuneSenpai18 KagomePureHeart Mara DALUNA Ladyshennamae janeheart249 Dwmalove Anikabrs and a guest!

I hope the recaps are helpful and I need some feedback for this chapter! :D Other than this, have a nice week!


	6. Chapter 5 The Contract

_Recap: After being led on a wild goose chase, Nike finally got the answers that she was seeking from the Seymour heir himself. However, she passed out suddenly before she could give him an answer. What has happened to her?_

* * *

~ Chapter Five: The Contract ~

**_Nike_**

_"I'm sorry, you failed the audition..."_

_The voice belongs to a familiar-looking man who is standing right in front of me. He gives me a look of sympathy before walking away. I frown at his back, feeling a sense of deja vu. I know that something similar like this has happened before._

_In the next second, the scene changes and I'm at a different place this time. I'm sitting on a bench at a crowded place alone. As I look around in confusion, a guy grips my arm suddenly and pulls me up. I wince in pain immediately. "Ow! Let me go!" I yelp and struggle helplessly, trying to make him release his grip on me._

_"I say that you let go of the lady before anything happens to you."_

_We freeze and our heads snap to the voice instantly. "You!" I exclaim at the sight of my supposed-saviour. "You're-"_

_The scene changes once again before I can even finish saying. I'm now in a restaurant where the same person is seated across the table from me. His eyes seem to pierce through mine as he observes my expression. _

_"Your father's debt is $70 million yen," he says. "Can you afford it?" His velvet lips form a killer smile and his eyes gleam with amusement. _

_"If you can't, then be my girlfriend."_

"...YOU'RE GONNA DIE IN MY HANDS!"

I yell and my eyes fly open. But in the next second, I shut them instinctively and use my hands as a shield against the blinding white lights that has caused pain in my eyes. Carefully once again, I peek through one squinted eyelid before opening both eyes. When my vision has focused after a while, I sit up and allow myself to survey my new surroundings.

I realize that I'm in a room. White lights, white walls, white translucent curtains, white door... Everything seems to be white. And why is that so?

"Wait...am I dead? Am I in heaven?" I ask the wall. I sit there, terrified, as I begin to experience chills on my skin. "Wait, if I'm dead, how did I even die in the first place!? Heart attack? Stroke? Or murdered?" I rack my brain hard but I can't seem to recall anything that can explain how I ended up in this room. I'm about to scream in fear when something else interrupts me.

"If you were dead, then you must have died because of my hotness."

I freeze and my head turns jerkily to my right in the direction of the noise. It isn't something but _someone_. I find myself staring at Livius Seymour sitting on the sofa with his arms stretch out and legs sprawl out casually. He flashes me a lazy smile when he sees me gawking at him in shock. Seconds pass as he waits for my reaction but all I do is just sit there in utter befuddlement.

He's the one who breaks the silence first. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asks amusingly. "Are you still half-asleep? Want me to wake you up with a kiss?" His eyebrows raise in perplexity as he crosses his legs and sits in a very attractive position. However, my mind is too busy thinking of something else now to focus much on that.

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE IN MY HANDS!" I lung out of bed unexpectedly but immediately smack flat onto the floor as I can't control my legs. I flinch in pain instantly at how sore they are.

"Don't move so fast. You're gonna kill yourself like that. You fainted at the restaurant due to overexertion." I hear him getting off the couch and afterwards, he grabs both my arms to hurl me off the floor like some doll. He places me on the bed carefully and pats my head. "Now, be a good girl and rest well," he says nicely.

"Don't touch me! You're gonna die in my hands!" I slap his hand away and eye him darkly. I can still remember clearly how he had led me on a wild goose chase and plotted a scheme behind my back. I have yet to forgive him for landing me in this heaven-like hospital.

"Yes, I heard you clearly. You didn't have to yell like that," he replies calmly. "In fact, I think you actually said that like five or six times? You were hollering your head off in your sleep about killing me." He shakes his head in amazement. "What exactly did I see in a woman who wants to kill me?"

"Exactly!" I agree. "So please stop forcing me to be your girlfriend! I want to have a normal life!" I beg him.

He rolls his eyes. "I didn't force you. I simply gave you an easier way out of your situation but you are refusing it. Fine!" He plops back on the sofa. "Give me back my $70 million yen now and I'll let you go," he demands coldly. "Either this or that. Choose."

"What!?" I exclaim, incredulous. "How am I supposed to give you that huge sum of money now? I need time to-" I retort but he interrupts me sharply.

"Unfortunately, this world isn't as simple as you think it is. If you were the one who tried to reach a settlement in this manner regarding the debt, the moneylender that knows your dad would have made sure that you and your sisters will not be able to see the sun rise in Japan anymore." His glacial tone sends goose bumps appearing on my skin. "Things doesn't just work the way you want."

"I know," I say quietly. My sudden change in tone surprises him. But I know whatever that he was saying is true because I have experienced a number of awful stuff before in my life. I understand this as well as he does. From the way he speaks, I know that he must have experienced some bad stuff as well. But it isn't my place to ask him about it.

"I know that well... But I just can't... It's so sudden and I don't even know if I can handle this. Besides, you do know that I'm a year older than you, right?"

"Don't worry," he assures me. He drops his icy tone and goes back to being the charming guy that all ladies love. "You'll get used to the life of being Livius Seymour's girlfriend quickly. I'm right here to guide you all the way. And who cares about you being older than me? We're living in the modern era." He smirks at me. I can feel myself conceding my defeat as this guy reasons with me well.

"So which one are you going to choose now?" he asks.

I stay silent as I think about it carefully. True enough, if he didn't help my dad pay off the debt, my family would be penniless by now and I would have lost my normal life too. I wouldn't be able to attend college and do the things that I want to do. Forget about achieving my dream, I would have to work my butt off to save up the money to pay off the rest of the debt.

But if I'm going to accept being his girlfriend, wouldn't things be easier for me and most importantly, my family? What is the worst thing that can happen to me? My family's security is my top most priority now.

"Alright," I sigh. "I'll do what you want and be your girlfriend. But I have a condition."

"Of course," he nods. He stands and crosses the room while taking out an expensive-looking silk handkerchief and a pen from the pocket of his suit. Taking a seat at the side of my bed, he pulls the bed table over and proceeds to writing on the handkerchief. I look down and watch him write in an elegant handwriting while growing amazed at how this guy seems to be perfect in everything he does. And I see 'Contract' is the first word that he writes.

"State your condition, Miss Fujisaki." His words make me reel away from him after realizing how close I'm leaning towards him. I clear my throat and fumble with my words.

"Err... N-no, well, you know... We can't do t-that _THING!_" I grow embarrassed at myself but I have to protect my own virginity. I have heard too many stories of how girls were taken advantage of. I have to be on guard. But will Livius Seymour do that to me? He seems to be both dangerous and kind at the same time. It's as though he has a split personality and this is why I can't seem to understand what's he thinking most of the time.

"Ah, that _thing._ Seems like you can be smart sometimes..." he remarks.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Nothing really, so..." He writes down my condition and continues writing. But this time, he writes his own conditions as well. It only takes him one minute to fill up the space in the handkerchief and when he is done, he reads what he has written out loud for me.

"This contract states that both parties involved must adhere to the conditions as stated below. Number one, no sexual activities. Number two, absolutely no touching of Livius Seymour unless he says so. Number three, Nike Fujisaki will only be let go when Livius Seymour deems that her debt is paid off. And lastly, number four, no falling for each other. If any of these conditions are broken, this contract will be terminated immediately and Nike Fujisaki will have to pay off the rest of her debt with her own money at once."

When he spoke the last condition, I know at once that we falling for each other will not happen. There is nothing special about me that will make him fall for me. Neither will I fall for him because, well, he's a guy who is always getting on my nerves every single second that I'm with him.

"If you agree to all the conditions, sign here with no regrets, Miss Fujisaki." He hands me the contract and pen. I take them from him quickly.

"Good grief..." I gulp as I stare at the contract in my hand. No matter how it sounds, I seem to be at a disadvantage. One wrong move and things will be over for me. Please, Kami-sama. Please tell me this is the right way for me to go...

I grip the pen tightly in my hand. After taking a deep breath, I sign quickly at the bottom before I have any regrets. Once I'm done, I pass them back to him. He takes them back with a triumphant smile and keeps them in his pocket. He continues to smile at me while I watch him nervously.

"See? It was easy. Nothing too difficult."

"Right..." It was easy for him, but not for me. Oh how I wish I can wipe that annoying smile off his face.

He crosses his arms and stares at me. "Okay, since we are now in an official relationship, you're going to do your first task as my girlfriend right now," he informs me.

His sudden announcement makes my eyes widen and my anxiety worsens. "R-right now?"

"Yep."

I gulp. What exactly does he want me to do? I hope it isn't anything too difficult for me. As his girlfriend now, I mustn't upset him or anything. I swallow hard and watch him nervously, trying to read his mind but fail.

Hence, today marks the end of my single life and the beginning of everything.

~ oOo ~

_**Livi**_

The girl sitting in front of me is my girlfriend now. Needless to say, she's a bundle of nerves.

"W-what's the first task, Mr. Seymour?" she stammers. Her fingers twist in the blanket nervously as she waits for an answer. I make her wait in anxiety by taking my time to shift into a comfortable sitting position. Watching her as she chews on her lower lip and stares at me, I can tell that she's getting impatient but she doesn't want burst out.

A rueful smile tips one side of my mouth up. "Shall we drop the honorific and get comfortable? Call me by my name."

She exhales immediately, clearly relieved. She must have thought that I would get her to do something weird. What a funny girl.

"Erm...okay," she agrees awkwardly. "L-Livius?"

"Livius is fine but..." I shake my head. A lot of people call me Livius too but I want her to call me something special instead. "How about a nickname? Think of one for me."

"Hmm..." She thinks hard for a while. "...Livi?"

Perfect. "Yes, Nike?" I cannot resist giving her a wink as a way of rewarding her. "Well done, I really like that nickname. Don't forget to call me that every time. We don't want others to find out about our contract right?"

She looks as though she wants to kill me for flirting with her but she holds herself back well. "A-ah! Right! I'll remember it well." I almost laugh out loud at her funny expression. She's attempting to smile at me nicely but it comes out quite stiff and frightening.

"You know, if you continue to look at me like that, people will find out that we aren't a real couple. I honestly think we need to give you some training..." As I'm saying this, I lean towards her slowly and seductively. Her body tenses up before she backs away from me quickly, trying to put a distance behind us. However, she ends up not moving much because her back hits the hinged head of the bed. I take this chance to close the distance behind us and bring my face close to hers. Our noses are almost touching as our eyes stay lock the whole time. She stares at me wide-eyed and holds her breath.

"Maybe I should give you a kiss right here..." I breathe. I let my eyes trail down to her lips and I feel her shiver once. "...just kidding." I poke her forehead hard with my right index finger and she yelps in surprise. When she recovers, her face grows red and her eyes shoot daggers at me.

"Did you have to toy with me like that?" she scowls angrily. "In case you remember, I'm a patient here!"

Geez, I really like that feisty look that she's giving me. Knowing that she's mine now and I'll get to see her like this often really put me in a good mood. I can't wait to see how she will amaze me in many ways in the days ahead. I'll never get bored if I spend everyday with her.

"Well, you sure have a lot of energy in you that I forgot you're a patient," I shrug nonchalantly. "My bad."

She gets even more furious. "On second thoughts, give me that contract now and I'll burn it! I can't stand your teasing any longer!"

"Hah!" I smirk widely at her. "I'm not sorry to hear that! But you better get used to it now because we have many more days together."

* * *

A/N: And so this short chapter brings us to the end of the introductory arc here! ^_^ Geez, I had to rewrite the chapter because I felt that something was wrong. Anyway, I'm really happy to see more readers liking this fic.

Extremely grateful to Dwmalove, LovingDreamer, BeautifulLini, Avarianna, Janeheart249, Hitsugaya Fiore-chan, alysson. montez.9, Anikabrs, Tha Zin, 2 guests and all readers who are reading this! There's OOCness in the characters but I really hope you guys will enjoy it! It's really hard to stick to their OC for me. T_T

Please look forward to how LivixNike relationship will move on from here in the future chapters! :3


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